auroral oval

The auroral oval is a region around the Earth’s magnetic poles where auroras, or northern and southern lights, commonly occur. These spectacular light displays happen when charged particles from the Sun collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The oval is typically shaped like an ellipse and varies with solar activity. It’s most visible in high-latitude areas, such as Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia in the Northern Hemisphere, and Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. The auroral oval shifts depending on the intensity of solar winds and is a fascinating result of our planet's magnetic field and solar interactions.